Currently, many terminals (e.g., desktop computers, notebook computers, and the like) typically do not have a Global Positioning System (GPS) positioning module included therein, or otherwise connected thereto. Consequently, determining the location information of such terminals that lack a positioning function (e.g., a GPS module) is difficult.
According to some related art, some applications that are provided in connection with a terminal include the use of location information of the terminal. As a result, such applications include acquiring user geographic location information (e.g., the location of the terminal). An example of an application that uses location information includes the display of promotional information. In the event that the location information for a user can be acquired, promotional information associated with the area surrounding a user can be displayed in connection with the application (e.g., on a website browsed by the user). The promotional information can include information on movie theaters, restaurants, shopping places, or the like near the location of the user. Because the application displays promotional information that can be configured according to a location of a user, greater accuracy in the location information of online users with such terminals will result in the display of promotional information that is more accurate and can improve user experience on such terminals.
As another example, many users simultaneously use PC terminals and mobile terminals. For example, applications such as Weibo and Weixin have client versions and PC terminal web page versions. Collection of location information when a user accesses an application using a PC terminal and location information when the user accesses an application using a cell phone terminal can be used for security purposes such as determining whether a user account is at risk of being compromised based on a comparison between the location information of the PC terminal and the location information of the cell phone terminal (e.g., the distance between the two geographic locations).
According to some related art, the location of a terminal can be determined using information from an IP bank (e.g., an IP address database) provided by an operator. For example, the IP banks are commercially available databases that map a geographic location to a particular IP address (or range of IP addresses). The geographic location information for the IP address is queried (e.g., looked up) using the IP address of such a terminal. However, the IP banks provided by operators only provide a broad geographic location corresponding to an IP address (e.g., the geographic location provided by the IP banks generally only identifies a city as the geographic location corresponding to an IP address). Accordingly, the geographic location information provided by IP banks is imprecise. For example, in Hangzhou, Beijing, and other large cities, providing accurate positioning of a terminal using information from an IP bank is generally not possible.
Therefore, there is a need for better ways to determine a location of a terminal.